The sound of the horn did not mean the two longships were preparing to assault a sailing warship five times their weight, but rather that they were alerting the ambush waiting in the distance for their prey to fall into the trap. Their ability to turn around, lacking a distinct bow or stern, could only be described as astonishing. Charging Wolf had only just begun to turn when the two longships rapidly switched from fleeing to pursuing. Not only did they skillfully and shrewdly flank Charging Wolf's return route, staying just within range, they also began launching long-range arrows. Amid the dull thuds, scattered arrows struck the warship's new hull. Although they did not harm a single person, they effectively harassed the movements of the North's sailors.
With the two longships causing a distraction, the friendly forces hidden a few miles away, already prepared, received the sound signal. They dropped their oars, accelerated, and rushed toward the battlefield, entering sight moments later.
There were two more ships, sailing ships similar to Charging Wolf in size and weight. However, due to differing combat philosophies, the Ironborn sailing ships had two extra auxiliary sails raised at the bow and stern and were equipped with more oarsmen. Heading diagonally into the north wind, propelled by both human power and lift, they bore down at twice the target's maximum speed.
Only then did Charging Wolf barely complete its turn and begin struggling to accelerate.
...
The Ironborn had many ships, but ninety percent were raiding longships. Euron's main Iron Fleet was still hundreds of miles to the south at that moment. The two sailing ships present today were the only Ironborn vessels suitable for direct naval combat north of Kraken Point. The plan today was to gather here and deliver a sharp blow as a show of force before the main Iron Fleet received word and sailed to the North, and before the North's warships in Ice Canyon Port became a formidable force.
The battle situation instantly shifted from one sailing ship against two longships to one sailing ship against two sailing ships plus two longships. Four surrounding one, even a blind man could see that Charging Wolf had been lured into a trap. Although they realized it just before charging headfirst into the snare, they still could not escape the net.
"Lady Maege Mormont, their ships are much faster than ours!"
"I can see that." Maege Mormont glared at the panicked subordinate. "Tell me clearly, is there any chance we can retreat into the protected waters of Ice Canyon Port before they catch us?"
"I am afraid, I am afraid it is a bit unlikely."
"A bit unlikely means impossible. That is enough. Drop the sails, pull in the oars, leave a few people below deck to control the steering, and have everyone else come up. Prepare for battle."
"This... Yes, my lady!"
Since running was impossible, they would not run. The Lady of Bear Island at that moment did not resemble a small woman at all. She was calmer and more decisive than the entire crew of men. Charging Wolf, not yet at full speed, slowly came to a stop. It adjusted its heading slightly to present its broadside to the two menacing Ironborn sailing ships pursuing them, and the two catapults were turned to aim at the two large enemy ships closing directly from astern.
"Let them get closer before firing. Wildfire projectiles are precious." Maege Mormont, holding a spiked club in one hand and pointing with the other, assigned tasks to the crew lined up before her. "You few, keep an eye on the longship on the port side. The rest of you, starboard. Those with bows, shoot immediately. I do not want you to have half a quiver of arrows left when we start fighting alongside. And those in black, stop looking at us. Manage your wildfire and the catapults, and make sure you set those two big ships opposite us on fire. In short, do not let a single kraken-spawn aboard."
"Yes!"
After all, less than half were raw recruits. With someone giving orders, the soldiers' tension quickly subsided. The figures running around frantically on deck gradually gathered, lining up with weapons in hand, waiting for the battle to begin.
One of the two sailing ships closed to just over a hundred meters before slowing down and running parallel. The other continued to approach menacingly, its ram rising and falling in the waves beneath the bow.
The Iron Islands' millennia of pirate history had deeply ingrained the methods and experience of sea warfare into their culture. Although the four Ironborn warships were not all from the same house, they tacitly adopted the prearranged highest priority tactic, one and three, one sailing ship providing distant cover and suppression, while the other closed in to lead the two lower longships in boarding actions.
A flash of orange-red light streaked across the sky, and the Ironborn cover ship a hundred meters away fired first. Mounting siege weapons on ships for naval combat was not Aegor's innovation. The Ironborn cover ship among the two sailing ships was also equipped with a catapult, though only one, since prioritizing maneuverability limited space. Its projectile was a ball of fire.
A dense, hard core was wrapped in a thick layer of straw and sawdust mixed with tar to form a viscous paste, then covered with straw mats and rags to hold it together. Lit moments before being launched, it shone brilliantly like a fiery meteor when sent out, leaving a clearly visible smoke trail in the sky, and crashed heavily into the water not far from Charging Wolf, splashing up a plume before disappearing into the sea.
"Return fire!"
The North's sailors and Night's Watch beside the two catapults felt no relief at the enemy's miss. In an era without fire control, relying entirely on feel and experience, it was normal for long-range attacks to require several adjustments to hit. They absolutely could not sit and wait for death.
The target was not the enemy fire ship with the catapult in the distance, but the one rapidly closing in to ram them. With two thuds, the arms struck the crossbeam, and two unassuming Wildfire incendiary projectiles flew out, quickly becoming two small black dots in the sky. The miracle of a one-shot kill did not happen. The incendiaries fell into the sea with a splash that only existed in imagination. The near-freezing water of Ice Bay suppressed the terrifying substance's ability to burn on water. All three misses from both sides were silent.
"Adjust and continue."
"It is coming to ram us. Turn, turn. Do not expose your side to it."
The first round of exchange ended in misses for both sides. Under the sporadic threat of arrows, the deck was filled with shouts, commands, and figures. The gun crews retracted the arms and turned the winches, quickly retrieving Wildfire projectiles for the second round of attack from the protective barrels filled with sand. Meanwhile, the Ironborn sailing ship coming straight for them had rapidly closed to a distance where the crews could see each other's faces, propelled by the strokes of two long rows of oars. They held their weapons high and had prepared boarding planks, grappling hooks, ropes, and other equipment, ready for a fierce boarding battle. Resources were scarce in the Iron Islands. While longships were numerous, sailing ships with multiple decks and cabins were extremely rare. Capturing Charging Wolf for their own use would naturally be the best option.
Torsion weapons required some preparation time to wind up. Fortunately, the rapidly closing distance between the enemy and themselves greatly reduced the charging process. The second round of projectiles was quickly prepared, and under the loud command of the officer, both sides simultaneously launched the next wave of fire.
The Ironborn's second tar incendiary projectile, trailing black smoke, hit Charging Wolf's mast as if it had eyes. Although it did not snap the wooden pole in mid-air, fiery fragments rained down onto the deck like scattering flowers, instantly causing chaos everywhere and even burning the sail that had just been lowered and piled nearby. Fortunately, the Night's Watch in charge of the Wildfire had not placed the incendiaries on the deck, which prevented a more horrific scene, a sympathetic detonation.
Relying on the advantage in the number of catapults, Charging Wolf immediately launched a counterattack with double the firepower. One of the two incendiary projectiles was fired too short and fell into the sea, while the other was fired too far. However, it should have passed over the hull and fallen into the sea on the other side, but because the Ironborn were raising sails to pursue Charging Wolf, it landed in their unfurled stern sail. With a crisp sound, it burst open on the canvas. The mixture of several chemical substances released a small amount of heat, and the near-hundred-degree temperature instantly ignited the Wildfire, its main component.
Of the three sails, one large and two small, one began to emit green flames in an instant.
No one was standing under the sail to be burned, and the ship's unstoppable momentum for ramming could no longer be halted. Charging Wolf struggled to turn thirty degrees with the help of a few long oars, avoiding the maximum damage from the enemy's ram to its hull, but there was no way to maneuver away from close quarters. With a tremendous crash, the two sailing ships collided heavily at an angle. A dozen iron hooks attached to ropes were thrown across the gunwales and caught fast. Amid teeth-grinding friction, the relative speed of the two ships rapidly fell to zero.
Behind the Ironborn raiders, the stern auxiliary sail that had just been hit by an incendiary was gradually engulfed by flames, becoming a green torch. The cold weather affected the spread of the Wildfire, but as the flames gradually dried and heated the canvas, mast, and deck, this high-temperature beast quickly regained its wildness, displaying the characteristic that even its users feared, it burned everything and was difficult to extinguish.
As the most skilled navy in Westeros, the Ironborn naturally had contingency plans for warships catching fire. However, those were only for ordinary incendiary weapons coated in tar. What about this green flame, devilish in color, spreading and slithering across the deck like a snake?
The last time the Ironborn were attacked by Wildfire, they were either being held hostage in King's Landing or diligently clearing ice in the Bay of Seals under the supervision of Cotter Pyke at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. The astonishing destructive power of the Wildfire instantly shattered the confidence of the sailors on the burning sailing ship in fighting the fire. Those at the stern were shouting and scrambling toward the center of the ship. Even those already crowded on deck stared dumbfounded, swallowed hard, then turned back one after another, realizing that their only way to survive now was to capture the North's warship before them and sail it back to the Iron Islands.
The Night's Watch man who operated the catapult that hit the enemy ship would not know that he had inadvertently increased the enemy's will to fight. But it did not matter. Maege Mormont had no intention of engaging in a normal boarding battle with the enemy. The relative speed between the two ships was ground down to zero. The Ironborn raiders, already gathered at the ship's edge, held their weapons high, waiting for the boarding planks to be lowered for the next step of deck combat. What greeted them was not Northmen similarly raising their weapons, but several more large jars.
(To be continued.)
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